Drumwe Isles

chapter twenty three

They'd travelled in the forests of Fallburne before on many occasions. Acoris used to fancy gathering random resources for his parents and Amra accompanied him from time to time. They explored a great deal of streams and found the occasional open meadow with unassuming woodland creatures for the hunting.

This rendered their adventure to be a few strides shy of exciting and it wasn't as though they were travelling very far either. Tree after tree was left in their wake as they talked about everything under the sun. It was almost the way it had been in their youth. Almost.

"I got my hands on one of mom's recipe books."

Acoris' brow furrowed.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Amra shrugged.

"It's just a thing."

He nodded.

Acoris had never met Elora Yelran. Amra made it a point never to talk about the woman and he was never sure how Amra felt about her.

"So she had more recipe books then."

"Oh yeah, loads of them. Mom used to be quite the cook."

"Think you'll start using her recipes?"

Amra laughed, causing Acoris to look at her nervously.

"Oh, I can't cook to save my life. Her recipes would be useless to me."

"But you kept the book?"

Amra nodded. Her companion wasn't really sure what to say.

"Oh, what happened with the village girl?"

Acoris tilted his head, confusedly.

"Tanila?"

"Oh."

Recognition flooded his eyes, followed quickly by a mild humour and embarrassment.

"Gods, Tanila, I almost forgot about that."

Amra smiled knowingly, shooting Acoris a look. His cheeks flushed red in embarassment and he shoved Amra slightly.

"Well? What happened?"

"She's pregnant."

Amra's eyes widened and she went to say something when Acoris interjected.

"Oh heavens, wait, no. It's not by me that she's gotten pregnant."

Amra laughed openly as Acoris stuttered and tried to explain himself.

"Turns out she was seeing someone else already when I met her. They're betrothed actually. So really she was a married woman the whole time."

Amra looked at him with complete disbelief.

"You pursued a married woman!"

"I did not!"

Acoris protested, running a hand across his face.

"You kissed her last fall!"

"No, no, she kissed me."

"Same thing."

"It is not the same thing!"

Amra's teasing was relentless and Acoris couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He hadn't known at the time that Tanila was a married woman or he would've never allowed such things to take place.

"Hmm I suppose that puts a wrap on Tanila for you then."

"You think? Her husband almost put a wrap on me altogether."

"Her husband knew?!"

Amra's eyes were saucers as she tried to keep up with the tumultuous state that was Acoris' love life. It was safe to say the fellow had very little luck with women.

"He socked me in the jaw. A solid hit too, I was almost proud."

Amra shook her head and Acoris held his hands up in defeat.

"So yeah, the Tanila thing is surely over."

"Indeed."

"What about you? Has your uncle tried to marry you off yet?"

Amra rolled her eyes indignantly.

"Tried is an understatement. The man has persisted."

"Who is he trying to settle you on this time?"

"Eldrin Reylar."

Acoris guffawed at the name while Amra cringed.

"Eldrin? As in muffin maker Eldrin?"

"The very same."

"Doesn't he fancy men?"

"That's the rumour."

Acoris was ecstatic with sarcasm.

"Oh he will be just a lovely match for you."

Amra rolled her eyes as the birds chirped around them and their feet crunched along.

"Seriously though, why would he even want you to marry a muffin maker?"

"I think at this point he wants me to marry anything."

"Geez. Our parents would be proud now."

Amra smiled at the dark humour of his remark.

"Maybe I'll throw him off and actually show interest in whoever he tries to settle me on next."

"Yeah maybe the next muffin maker will at least have good muffins."

Amra punched his arm and he chuckled.

"Eldrin's muffins really aren't bad."

Acoris raised a brow.

"Maybe you oughta give the lad a chance then."

"A chance to what? Be disloyal to me, with a man?"

"Fair."

"Anyhow I couldn't picture you being married."

Amra furrowed her brows in thought.

"I couldn't picture being married either. Sounds tedious."

"Then don't do it."

Amra looked at him, bewildered.

"What? All I'm saying is you wouldn't be the first Elf to go unmarried."

Amra wanted to say he was being nonsensical but couldn't fault his logic. She didn't want to be wed. Didn't want to make any elflings either. Mostly she just didn't think that lifestyle would suit her, in fact, she always figured it'd make her unhappy. Though there was a small part of her that was afraid of loving someone the way her mother had loved her father.

"I've literally got an eternity to decide whether or not I want to be wed."

"Lucky bastard."

Amra grinned. She couldn't altogether make sense of mortality. The idea of growing old and dying was alien to her, as it was to all Elves. Living amongst the Druids gave them a fair share of exposure to the phenomena but it was always as an outsider looking in. If no tragedy befell Amra, she could conceivably live to see the end of days. It was something she took for granted and knowing that one day her dear Acoris would come to pass made her quite sad. Still she felt death was a very humbling force and she understood that Acoris would always live on in her heart.

"Hey I wonder if I can befriend your grandchildren the way I befriended you."

Acoris seemed to be intrigued by the potential.

"Actually I think that's quite possible. Wouldn't it be strange?"

"Only at first. Eventually I'm sure I'd like them more than I ever liked you."

Acoris feigned offence and hurled a long list of obscenities at the Elf. She only laughed in response. As was the nature of their friendship. 

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